Of Love Potions and Locked Closets
by Signature F
Summary: Ginny is sneaking around the dungeons looking for the final ingredient for her Love Potion, but gets more than she bargains for when she winds up locked in a closet with her biggest rival... and object of affection. GWxDM, now complete
1. Initial Intentions

**Disclaimer:** This is the first Harry Potter fanfic I've written in a good long while... so chances are, I'm not trying to steal Ginny, Draco, or Hogwarts from J. K. Rowling. (i.e. I'm not. Keep your hair on and read the first chapter.)

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**Chapter One  
Initial Intentions**

A chill wind curled gently through the corridor, and Ginny clutched at her sweater, the only thing providing protection to a thin pajama top and her bare skin. She shivered as the cold air hugged at her exposed ankles, thankful that she was wearing a particularly fluffy pair of slippers.

A lot of people wouldn't have expected Ginny Weasley to be prowling the dungeon corridors at two in the morning, making her way toward the Potions room, and the one girl who did expect it wasn't going to report her. True, Luna had advised against such an escapade in the first place, but when Ginny explained to her her mission, Luna had accepted it as the best course of action. After all, where else was she going to find the last ingredient for her Love Potion? Surely not in the students' supply cabinet, and most people were so unaware of how to actually concoct a Love Potion that it was unlikely for the aforementioned ingredient to be greatly missed.

The fact that Love Potions had been banned at Hogwarts for the past decade had not daunted Ginny in the slightest. They were quite harmless in small doses, and they didn't require any extraordinary ingredients (save for the one she was forced to borrow), and it really was tempting to make it since Dumbledore had banned it in the first place.

Ginny hurried along down the corridor, trying to ignore the way the temperature dropped progressively lower for every door she passed. Indeed, when she finally reached the Potions room, she was so cold that she could barely feel her toes as she lowered her lit wand and pointed it at the door.

"_Alohomora_," Ginny whispered, and pulled the door open carefully. Once inside, she wasted no time at all in hurrying to the back of the classroom, muttering the same incantation for the storage door, and pulling it open as well.

It was quite dark inside the closet, and she squinted up at the labels of bottles and packets whose names she could barely read in the gloom. Ginny took several steps into the closet, and, holding her wand slighter lower, began to inspect some of the bottommost shelves.

"Ah-hah," she breathed, and, crouching down, she retrieved a small bottle marked _Extract of Ginger Root_. Her task completed, she stowed the bottle safely in her pocket and turned to go…

"And what are you doing here, Miss Weasley?"

Ginny's stomach turned over and she whipped around just as a shadowy figure emerged from behind a small bookcase crammed with outdated Potions textbooks. A moment later the figure stepped into the light, and Ginny gasped.

"You!" she said angrily, and Draco Malfoy laughed softly.

"Yes, me," he said in a strangely calm voice. "Now why don't you return that bottle to its rightful place, and I might not report you to Professor Snape."

"We'll see about that," Ginny snapped, and pointed her wand at the door. "_Collioportus_!" The door swung shut instantly, and a small click told Ginny that it was locked. She looked back at Draco, who glared at her.

"_Alohomora_!" The spell hit the door, but bounced off the handle as though reflected by a mirror.

"A self-altered spell?" Draco asked, annoyed but unable to keep himself from being slightly impressed.

"Yes," Ginny replied sweetly, holding her wand slightly above the both of them so as to see Draco's face; he looked extremely disgruntled.

"You realize, of course," Draco said, and Ginny was slightly surprised to see him smirk. "That the only way out for you is if you let me out as well."

"As if I couldn't just hex you and run off," Ginny shot back. "Remember, I'm the only one who can open the door, and if you happen to be unconscious when I do so, that's not my problem."

"Like I'd lose to you in a duel," Draco spat, sneering at her, and Ginny had to admit that he had a point. Much as she'd like to deny it, Draco wasn't stupid when it came to dueling, and neither was he fair. They glared at each other for a moment, and finally Ginny said, "Well, then, what do you propose we do, Mr. Malfoy?"

"I propose that you stop acting childish and let us out," said Draco, narrowing his eyes. "Seeing as that's the only choice you've got."

"It is not," Ginny retorted. "I could sit here all night if I had to."

"So what?" Draco snickered. "So Snape can find you here in the morning and save me the trouble of turning you in?" Again, Ginny was stumped and beginning to feel quite frustrated. This was not going at all to plan, and she was backed into a corner now: it was either wait for Snape to find them in the morning, or let Draco go and report her anyway. It seemed that Draco knew what she was thinking, for he chuckled and sat down, his back propped up against the shelves, smirking up at her.

"Didn't think of that, did you?" he jeered. "So what will it be?"

_What will it be?_ Ginny thought. _Give up now or hold on until sunrise?_

A moment later, she was sitting opposite Draco, and had grabbed an empty jar off one of the shelves. She muttered a useful spell that she had learned from Hermione, and a playful blue flame spiraled suddenly from the tip of her wand into the bottom of the jar. She placed it between them and extinguished her wand, and in the dim blue firelight she could just see Draco's face, an expression of surprise now fixed on it.

"I'll wait," Ginny replied.

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**AN: **Thank you for reading this chapter. I'd really appreciate reviews for this one, seeing as it's the first bit of fanfiction I've done in a long while... also, if you notice any grammatical mistakes of any sort, please be sure to let me know! (I'm sure I took care of all of them when I went over it three times, but you never know.)

Thank you again for reading, and I'll try to have chapter two ready soon.

Love,  
Signature F


	2. The First Hour

**Disclaimer:** It's posted at the beginning of the first chapter.**  
**

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**Chapter Two  
The First Hour**

A good half-hour passed, and neither Draco nor Ginny spoke. They didn't really have anything to say to each other after all, considering the fact that they had been enemies almost since Ginny's first year at Hogwarts, and especially since both of them were there against their will: Ginny would have given almost anything to be safe in bed, and she suspected that Draco would rather not be trapped in a supply closet with a Gryffindor girl. All the same, it was largely his fault that they were stuck there (if you excluded the fact that it was Ginny who had snuck in to steal a potion ingredient, and who also was responsible for locking the door).

Now, however, barricading the both of them into a small, dark room with little legroom and uncomfortable stone floors, seemed quite a poor idea, especially since they'd be out by morning, one way or another.

It was really, deliciously ironic, Ginny thought miserably. The very person that she had intended to give the Love Potion happened to want to ruin her life, was the very reason that she couldn't concoct the potion, and, indeed, contributed to the reason that she was locked in this stupid cupboard in the first place.

Of course, she did not intend to tell Draco this. The thought of what he might do or say was appalling: short of making her life as hellish as he could before his seventh year, Ginny was sure that he would not return his feelings.

All the same, spending five and a half hours sitting in a closet, completely silent, did not appeal to her in the slightest. So she cleared her throat and asked a question that had been nagging persistently at the back of her mind for some time.

"How did you know I would be here?" Ginny asked, hoping to sound offhand. Draco looked slightly surprised that she had spoken, but answered in his usual drawl.

"It's not that difficult to eavesdrop on your conversations, Weasley. One only would have to stand closer than ten feet."

"You needn't be rude, it was just a question," Ginny snapped.

"And yet you're the reason I'm sitting in some closet at the dead of night instead of asleep in bed," he countered, eyes glinting malevolently. Ginny ignored this.

"Well, if you had wanted to be in bed, then you shouldn't have been lying in wait for me here," she replied.

"How silly of me not to suspect you'd lock us in the supply closet all night," Draco said sardonically.

Suddenly something he had said only seconds before began to fully register.

"Wait," Ginny said, frowning. "Did you say earlier you've been eavesdropping on me?"

Draco met her gaze briefly before blinking distractedly and replying.

"I simply commented on how loudly you plan your midnight escapades," he said. "Is it my fault I happened to overhear?"

"Yes," Ginny interjected. "Because then you're obviously paying too much attention to what I have to say to other people."

Draco was silent for a moment, allowing Ginny time for another remark.

"And so it intrigues me, Malfoy, as to what all you've been listening to me talk about." It then occurred to Ginny never to discuss her crushes aloud ever again, whether she was within earshot of anybody or not. She bit her lip slightly as she waited for Draco's response.

"As if I'd be interested in anything you've got to say" was all he came out with, but Ginny wasn't finished with him yet.

"Well, apparently you are," she said, a little louder than she meant to. "If you've taken to listening in on my private conversations." Ginny looked at him hard, and Draco met her gaze, glaring right back at her.

"Look, Weasley," he spat. "I don't care what you and your stupid little friends talk about, so don't even fool yourself for a moment thinking that I do. I only came here tonight to catch a stupid little girl and keep her from stealing ingredients for whatever potion that you're trying to make –"

"Who said I wanted to make a potion," Ginny asked sharply, and Draco stared at her for a moment before speaking.

"If you're stealing things from the Potions supply closet, one would assume you are trying to concoct a potion of some sort. That is common sense, Weasley."

They sat in silence for another fifteen minutes or so. Ginny wished she knew what time it was, and that she hadn't been so foolish as to forget her wristwatch on her bedside table. She fidgeted where she sat, her back knocking up against the solid wooden shelves. A few bottles clanked and shuddered noisily behind her head.

"Do be careful, Weasley," Draco said, watching her shift. "I'd hate for you to get into even more trouble than you will be."

"I doubt you would be," Ginny sniffed, crossing her arms and looking at him disdainfully. Draco's features shone pale and alien-like in the blue light that emanated from the little fire in the jar, but Ginny's heart leapt slightly as she looked at him. His eyes shone pale blue in the firelight as he looked back at her, his emotions masked at first, then suddenly revealing annoyance.

"God, quite staring at me, Weasley," he muttered, agitated, and Ginny pulled herself hastily from her reverie.

"Don't flatter yourself, Malfoy," she said contemptuously. "I don't fancy you any more than I fancy the giant squid."

Draco looked as though he were about to make a nasty comment, but for some reason seemed to think better of it. Perhaps he thought that Ginny would jinx him into next week if he got her too angry, but then again, it was Draco Malfoy, and he wasn't completely unable to defend himself either.

It was therefore cause for Ginny to brood on another thought that had been nagging at her for some time: she did, indeed, know the spell that would unlock the door, but what confused her was the fact that Draco had done nothing about it. Why not disarm her, curse her until she revealed the spell, and then drag her to Snape, rather than waiting until morning? Surely Draco was not above picking on younger girls. So what was keeping him from doing so?

_Maybe it hasn't occurred to him to try that yet,_ Ginny thought, though she wasn't convinced. She was sure, somehow, that there was some other, deeper meaning behind Draco's actions… or rather, the lack thereof.

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**AN:** Here's the second chapter, up and running. Now for some previews )

Our next chapter starts maybe an hour after the end of the first chapter, and is told from Draco's point-of-view. It's quite a bit shorter than these first two chapters, but I felt it needed to be written to help readers understand what was going on.

Thanks to anyone who has left me a comment!

_Love,  
Signature F _


	3. Tall Tales

**Disclaimer:** In the first chapter.**  
**

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**Chapter Three  
Tall Tales**

Draco blinked, trying to keep himself from dozing for the fourth or fifth time in the past hour. He was certain that they had been trapped for at least two hours, but as he had no watch, he had not the vaguest idea of what time it really was.

_Hand it to a Weasley to throw your sense of time out of proportion,_ he thought bitterly. Blinking away an itching tiredness that kept trying to close his eyes, Draco switched his gaze from the small, blue fire to Ginny, who was now sitting with her knees drawn up to her chin, and blinking dazedly at the flame, as though not really seeing it. Her bright red hair shone dazzlingly in the blue light, making it seem lighter, almost a dull pink, in the gloom of the closet.

His eyelids sagged again, and Draco rubbed at them fervently, wanting desperately to stave off sleep: who knew what that girl would do to him once he was unconscious? Several sinful, unbidden thoughts surfaced, but Draco pushed them to the back of his mind, irritated.

As much as he enjoyed blaming Ginny for this predicament, it really had been his decision to meet her here that had landed him in this position, and it frustrated him to think that, if he dozed off, she would be free to go if she awoke. Furthermore, he was not comforted in the fact that it was largely his fault that he was locked in a supply closet in the dead of night with a Gryffindor girl, let alone Ginny Weasley.

Draco felt his stomach turn and heartbeat speed up slightly. Numerous more perverse imaginings pestered him excitedly, but he refused to satisfy his true longings by entertaining them.

True though it was that he detested Gryffindors, his mind seemed to have slipped up somehow when attempting to hate Ginny. Make no mistake, Draco really did find her irksome at best, infuriating the rest of the time, but, he came to realize, it was all part of her charm. She was deliciously cunning, sweet in an almost forbidding sense of the word, and more often than not, Draco found himself captivated by how confused she left him. He was certain that she could not be a normal girl (if you could call any of the Gryffindors "normal", that is), as he was completely bewildered as to how you could despise someone and yet, find them incredibly appealing at the same time.

Of course, Draco had not breathed a word of his bemused infatuation with her to anyone: who would believe him, even if he did? And if anyone _did_ believe him, what kind of reputation would that earn him? Falling for a Gryffindor, and a Weasley no less! Thank God Lucius Malfoy had no idea…

Still blinking rapidly to avoid nodding off, Draco drew his feet up under his body, so that he was sitting uncomfortably on his ankles. Painful, perhaps, but so long as he stayed awake, he would be forced to remain in that position.

Looking briefly at Ginny again, he saw that she had fallen asleep. Her chest rose and fell peacefully with every breath, and her face had relaxed as she slumbered. Draco watched her carefully as she slept on, the blue, flickering flame giving off the illusion of expression, as though she were about to stir and open her eyes.

Still watching her quietly, Draco matched his breathing to hers, and before he realized what had happened, his head rocked backwards onto the shelf, eyes closing gently, and he was asleep.

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**AN:** Apologies that this is a really, really short chapter, but I've been going through the plot possibilities and I figured I needed to write in somewhere something that would explain Draco's side of the story. Unfortunately, when I wrote all of this out, I realized that I hadn't really set myself up to continue with the story within the space of a chapter, without changing the plot to suit the length of the chapter. So I decided to end it early to avoid confusing myself. Anyway, preview time again.

Chapter four will take a while to finish, but for what I'm hoping to put into it, I think it will be worth it. The point-of-view switches back to Ginny in this chapter, and that's all I can really say about it without giving too much away. Should be posted before it gets too late tonight, I'm thinking on taking a long break this evening for relaxing and dinner.

Thanks again for reading,  
_Signature F_


	4. Failed Escape

**Disclaimer:** In the first chapter. Shame on you if you haven't read it yet.

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**Chapter Four  
Failed Escape**

Ginny awoke with a start, and her first thought was of the time. How long had she been asleep? Mind racing, she looked around, or rather, tried to: the flame had gone out, plunging her and Draco into complete darkness.

She reached for her wand, intending on reigniting the flame, but hesitated as her fingers closed around the wooden handle in her pocket. If Draco was asleep, relighting the flame might well wake him up, and ruin her chance of getting away; and who knew if she'd get another one? On the other hand, she wouldn't know if he was awake unless she lit a light of some sort, and besides, fumbling around in the Potions closet in the dark was not a good idea at the best of times. Suppose she knocked something over or broke a bottle? Surely that would wake Draco up, and she couldn't afford to take that risk. All the same, she wouldn't know for certain if he was awake or not until she lit her wand or until she made noise of some kind.

Several minutes passed, and still Ginny sat on the cold flagstone floor, contemplating her options. She would have to make a decision soon: if Draco wasn't awake now, who knew if he'd wake up while she was mulling over the possibilities, and then catch her as she was trying to leave. It was getting progressively riskier the more time she spent thinking about it, but Ginny still was unsure of what she should do…

Another minute had passed, and somewhere across from her in the inky blackness Ginny could hear Draco breathing softly. She listened for several moments, barely able to hear past the sound of hot blood pounding in her ears; she couldn't be sure, be it seemed as though Draco was genuinely asleep.

Ginny chose then to act: it was now or never. Carefully positioning her legs beneath her, Ginny used the shelves behind her to help herself out of the position she had been stuck in for God knew how long, and into a sort of awkward crouch. It was impossible to tell where anything was, and Ginny straightened up carefully, knowing that one false move would ruin the entire plan.

Taking in a deep, silent breath of stale, cupboard air, Ginny didn't dare exhale as she gently lifted one foot from the floor, moved it carefully towards where she knew the door would be, and set it down again. Draco's breathing didn't change as she did so, but he shifted slightly in his sleep, and Ginny held her breath even longer as she waited for him to stop moving before she took another step.

It was getting impossible to tell how far she had moved, and furthermore, how loudly her footsteps and breathing had become; the pounding of blood in Ginny's ears had reduced to a dull throb, but it was incredibly difficult to discern any sounds coming from her or from Draco. It felt like hours since she had first begun to move, but she sensed that she was only feet from where she had been sitting, and she had since lost any idea of how close or far away the closet door was in relation to her outstretched hand, which probed gingerly through the darkness in search of the metal doorknob.

She continued to move, lifting one foot at a time, and replacing it with painstaking tentativeness barely a foot away, so as to reduce the noise made by her rustling clothes. Nearly perspiring from the effort of keep quiet, Ginny raised her hand carefully to her face and brushed a strand of wayward hair from her cheek, and let her hand sink back towards her pocket, but suddenly she felt her fingers slip against something smooth and cool, and a bottle shivered noisily in its place on a shelf. Not daring to swear aloud, she raised her hand quickly in attempt to hold the bottle still, but her hand struck it again and sent it flying from the shelf –

Ginny was barely aware of the falling sensation that accompanied the idea of watching an object drop. She hardly heard the bottle smash into a million pieces on the stone floor before she flung herself towards the door, colliding against it with a loud bang, and suddenly was blinded by a flash of white light –

Draco was already on his feet and two steps away by the time Ginny had turned her head around, and only a moment later she felt his lit wand tip pressing against her jaw line. He was smirking triumphantly, eyes gleaming in the wand light.

"Not a very stealthy escape attempt," he breathed in her ear, and Ginny shuddered involuntarily, her heart leaping as though his words had caused an electric shock throughout her body. Still, she didn't let this show on her face; instead, a defiant grimace lodged itself firmly across her lips.

"You sound pretty full of yourself for somebody who just woke up," Ginny said, unable to keep a hint of dismay from her voice. Draco, however, caught it, and his smirk widened.

"As if I could sleep through all your sneaking around. I've heard quieter elephants on a stampede," he said in a cool voice. "Now please, rejoin me on the floor. I believe we were waiting from Professor Snape to come give you a detention." Ginny felt the wand tip press harder into her neck, but she gave a derisive laugh in spite of him.

"First, if you wouldn't mind, taking your wand out of my face," she said coldly, and Draco lowered his wand slight, but it was still lit and still pointed at her. Each of them glowered at the other, neither one moving, or taking their eyes away. Without warning, it seemed, Ginny's stomach flip-flopped again, and she blinked, though was still glaring at Draco. He was standing so close to her that their feet nearly touched and his face was only inches from hers. Ginny swallowed, and realized that her mouth was feeling suddenly dry.

As though her awkward feelings had been somehow transmitted to Draco, she saw a faint pink blossoming on his cheeks. He blinked back at her, his glare not quite so intense any longer.

Though neither one said a word, each of them seemed to be thinking the same thing:

_What's going to happen now?  
_

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**AN:** Apologies for the cliffie, but I've been shirking my chores to get these chapters done. And, at this rate, I'll probably be able to get the fifth chapter posted tonight as well, and possibly the sixth.

Thank you to everyone who has reviewed, including **lologurl**, **Fireice2772**, and a couple of anonymous people. I know it doesn't seem like much, but during my absence from I haven't gotten any feedback on my fanfiction. Your support means everything to me!

Anyway, on to the preview:

With the story winding down (yes, it was a bit short, wasn't it?), Draco and Ginny's true feelings surface in the fifth chapter, along with an unexpected surprise at the end. I won't keep you in suspense too much longer, so please excuse me as I finish writing the last few chapters.

_Love,  
Signature F_


	5. Confessions of a Sort

**Disclaimer:** It's in the first chapter

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**Chapter Five  
Confessions of a Sort**

It was funny, Draco thought. For as much as Ginny was supposed to hate him, and as much as he, in turn, was supposed to hate her, they seemed to be standing awfully close to each other for no real reason. And although Draco refused to himself to back off and let her leave (as she would, undoubtedly, lock him in once she had the door closed behind her), it really wasn't reason enough to be so close to her. And, whether he liked it or not, a part of him immensely enjoyed being so near to Ginny, and it had made him extremely reluctant in backing away.

Then again, it was obvious that tension was beginning to build between them even as they stood there, and it was unclear as to who was going to make the first move. Ginny bit her lip slightly, still staring straight at him. Her doing so made Draco's entire body shiver slightly with pleasure, but he refused to let any hint of this involuntary movement show on his face.

All the same, he suddenly felt inexplicably sure that Ginny was experiencing the same sensation…

"Do you have to stand so close to me, Malfoy?" Ginny asked curtly, but her voice was low and she didn't meet his eyes as she spoke. At long last, Draco gave in to his desires, and put his face close to her ear.

"Because I can't help myself, Weasley," he replied in a would-be cold voice, and that was that. A moment later they were at each other's lips, hands roving greedily over what they had so long been lusting after, and bodies pressed hard together. It almost seemed as though that was what they had been planning to do from the start.

Finally, both of them gasping slightly from lack of air, they pulled apart slightly. Ginny's hands were positioned at the back of Draco's neck and head, whereas his arms embraced her tightly around the shoulders and midsection, refusing to lessen their hold on the prize he had lusted after for years.

Though neither of them had imagined, in their wildest dreams, that they would ever be confessing their love there in that cramped closet with little to no preamble, it seemed for them the only right way to do it.

Holding her even closer, Draco brought his face down to Ginny's and placed his lips on hers again. Surrendering to pleasure, he kissed her forcefully, and she kissed him back, matching his strength. Their lips parted way to let their tongues wrestle, Ginny leaning against the door for support and Draco leaning against her to help support him. In fact, Ginny was sure that if she had not magically locked it, the door might've given away already against their combined weight.

Once again, they broke apart to catch their breath, and Draco spoke.

"Need I ask how long you've been wanting to do that?" he asked delicately, but his eyes flashed and he grinned with something like triumph.

"Only for as long as you have," Ginny replied, returning his gaze, and before Draco could respond she reached into her pocket and pulled out the small bottle labeled _Extract of Ginger Root_, turned it so that Draco could read the name, and returned it to the shelf. He watched her do so, and a look of sudden comprehension dawned on his face.

"I don't need that potion any more," she whispered, and his only reply was to kiss her again.

It was just then that the lock clicked audibly behind them, and before either Draco or Ginny could break away from each other's lips, the door swung wide open, and both of them tumbled out into the classroom.

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**AN:** Another cliffie. And this chapter is even shorter than chapter three... I'm so sorry... (ducks as rotten vegetables are thrown) Anyway, I am in the midst of typing up the final chapter, and since I've gotten some of my chores out of the way (somehow), I can hopefully edit and update sometime tonight. Hooray!! 

And now a brief word from my sponser (not really):

Thanks again to everyone who's reviewed. This includes **lologurl**, **Fireice2772**, **princess.of.sarcasm**, **-S3v3rusIsMin3-**, **MeggyandHaku**, **blackcoat-245**, **hahaha** (an anonymous reviewer), and another unnamed anonymous reviewer. Thank you, thank you, thank you! You all get cookies. (No, not really, as they'd arrive in crumbs if I mailed them. Sorry.)

Last review for this fanfiction:

Draco and Ginny are discovered, but by who? (I'm sure you would guess correctly if you just apply yourselves. Go on, give it a shot.) And furthermore, will their relationship blossom into full-fledged romance or drop dead? Find out in the last chapter _Of Love Potions and Locked Closets_, mysteriously titled as _Aftermath_. (Yes, I called it that deliberately to frustrate you.)

Until later, my friends..._  
Signature F_


	6. Aftermath

**Disclaimer: **Conveniently located at the beginning of chapter one.

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**Chapter Six  
Aftermath**

Professor Snape stood, motionless, next the doorway, his dark eyes flickering from Draco to Ginny, and then back again as they got quickly to their feet. The situation looked awkward at best, and it was a quite a while before Snape spoke.

"What," Snape said at long last, and his voice was little more than a poisonous whisper. "Do you think you are doing." He looked almost exclusively at Ginny as he said this, and Ginny, longing to shoot off a witty comeback, thought better of it and remained silent, though she blushed bright pink and lowered her gaze to Snape's feet.

"My fault, Professor," Draco said, and though his voice was steady Ginny saw his hand twitch anxiously. "I – er – suggested this as a meeting place –"

"Really, Mr. Malfoy," Snape said, turning his piercing gaze towards Draco, who faltered and fell silent. "In my private storeroom? What an odd place to… meet." Ginny dared a glance upward in time to see an unpleasant smirk trace itself across Snape's pale lips. "If that is, indeed, what you were doing, which I doubt."

Draco's cheeks flushed, and he looked as if he was attempting to come up with a good argument. It didn't seem to be working.

"So I ask you, Draco," Snape went on. "Why meet so early in the morning, and why in my storeroom? Why not simply ask for a little privacy?" He shot a nasty sort of glance at Ginny, and Draco found his voice.

"I apologize, Professor," he said hurriedly. "I don't know why it didn't occur to me to ask in the first place, really, and I swear it will never happen again –"

"See that it doesn't," Snape said icily. "Or you will quickly realize that being a Slytherin does not exempt you from certain… punishments." His lips curled unpleasantly, and Draco bowed slightly, took Ginny by the hand, and was halfway to the classroom door when Snape called after him again.

"And for God's sake, try to retain a little dignity and do keep your romantic escapades out of the teachers' cupboards."

"Y-yes Sir," Draco gasped, and, still tugging Ginny along, wrenched open the door and hurried out of the room without a backward glance.

>> >

The next day, Ginny was still marveling at the fact that neither of them had gotten detention from that particular stunt, and was further amazed when an unfamiliar tawny owl landed in front of her at the breakfast table, bearing a large envelope in its beak.

"Who's owl is that?" Hermione asked, who had looked up from a copy of the _Daily Prophet_.

"Dunno," Ginny admitted, taking the envelope. "School owl, I think." The owl ruffled its feathers importantly before taking off again, and Ginny focused on the letter itself. It was addressed simply to Ginny in dark green ink, and, having a hunch on who had sent it, stuffed it hastily inside her bag.

"Oh, go on, read it," said her brother Ron, who was sitting next to Hermione and taken an interest.

"I don't think I will," Ginny said, looking at him reprovingly. "And even if I did open it, it's none of your business who sent it or what they have to say."

Ron grimaced.

"So it's a love letter," he grumbled, taking a savage bite out of a jammy dodger.

"I never said that, did I," Ginny snapped. "And what do you care if it is." She stood up, annoyed.

"I'm going to go get ready for my first class," she told him huffily. "And don't you dare harp on me about this, Ronald, just butt out if you know what's good for you."

Ignoring the way Ron's ears had gone bright red at the mention of his full first name, Ginny grabbed her book bag and strode out of the Great Hall. Halfway up the marble staircase, however, she stopped, and after making sure that there was nobody else lurking around, pulled out the envelope and tore it open. Inside was a quite short letter, and Ginny read it eagerly.

_Ginny –_

_Glad we're together, but don't think that this  
changes anything between us during the day.  
I shudder to think of what would happen to  
my reputation as a Slytherin if anybody found  
out about us: Snape was bad enough._

_As for nighttime "meetings", we'll just have  
to find more private closets, now, won't we?_

_Love always,_

_D. M._

The bell rang just then, and Ginny's heart was racing as she stored the letter safely in her bag. She would read it at least a dozen more times before she fell asleep that night.

Draco clearly intended on carrying through with his statement he had made in the letter; he was horrible to her during classes, and she was horrible to him as well, and nobody save Luna (who applauded the fact that Ginny was able to have Draco without the use of a Love Potion) was the wiser. Nightfall, however, heralded the only time they met and were able to apologize to each other for all of the awful things they had said to each other that day.

They always forgave each other, and they always ended up in a closet.

_**Fin**_

* * *

**AN:** Well, what did everyone think? I hope Snape finding them wasn't _too _much of a cliche, **-S3v3rusIsMin3-**, but anyway, you guessed right, so good for youCheers to everyone who reviewed, thanks so much and I'm glad you guys enjoyed reading (especially the people who have followed the story since I published it). 

Please review and tell me what you thought of the story... hopefully it wasn't too gushy or romantic (especially the last line), but I tried to keep Draco and Ginny in character as much as possible (don't know if it worked that well, but there you have it).

Thanks again for reading!

_Love,  
Signature F_


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